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Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
The site is located around Arero town in the centre of Borena Zone. Arero is about halfway along the track from Negele to Yabello, and 660 km from Addis Ababa. The topography of the area is undulating, with some hills and gorges. Arero forest is the most southerly of the high forests of Ethiopia and is one of the few places in Borena Zone where there are well-grown trees of
Juniperus procera.
Podocarpus oracilior and
J. procera are the largest trees and are found with broadleaved species, e.g.
Prunus africana,
Teclea nobilis,
Croton macrostachyus,
Olea capensis,
Acacia and figs. This forest also contains several species of small tree characteristic of the Somali–Masai vegetation of Somalia, eastern Kenya and northern Tanzania. Examples are
Fagaropsis hildebrandtii and the yellow-flowered
Ochna insculpta. In Ethiopia,
Ochna insculpta is only known from the Arero forest. Several tall grasses (
Andropogon sp.,
Hyparrhenia spp. and
Cymbopogon spp.) grow in the periphery of the forest and in woodland. In 1992 this area comprised 5,437 ha of closed-canopy forest, 2,389 ha of medium-density forest and 2,823 ha of open forest.
See Box and Tables 2 and 3 for key species. Arero forest was previously the most important known site for
Tauraco ruspolii (and possibly represents the type-locality), although the species has now been found at Negele, Wadera, Genale and Kibre Mengist. Although forest at this site is being lost, the area still supports a small population, the southernmost in the species’ range, and is believed to be more or less contiguous with that of the Anferera forests (site ET058); together these encompass the species’ full range. Another important bird found at the site is
Serinus xantholaema, which although uncommon has recently been found breeding at Arero, the first breeding record for Ethiopia. A recent survey recorded 168 species at the site, of which 43 were Somali–Masai biome species including
Turdus tephronotus,
Cisticola bodessa,
Sylvia boehmi,
Cisticola nanus,
Batis perkeo,
Turdoides aylmeri,
Parus thruppi,
Dryoscopus pringlii,
Onychognathus salvadorii,
Lamprotornis shelleyi,
Pseudonigrita cabanisi and
Serinus donaldsoni.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The forest is heavily populated and is connected to expanding urban centres (e.g. Metagefersa) by road. Consequently there is heavy logging of the large trees (with truckloads of timber being seen taken from the forest), while the smaller ones are taken for local construction, fuel and charcoal production. Although the forest is a National Forest Priority Area, and therefore should play an important role in protecting endangered species, the protection afforded the area is not sufficient to prevent the cutting, clearing for settlements and fires that currently threaten the forest. Where forest cover has been removed, the soil has dried out and no forest regeneration can be seen. There also seems to have been a lowering of the water-table in the Arero area. In an effort towards conservation, a
Eucalyptus camaldulensis and
Juniperus procera plantation was established in 1982. However, the survival rate of these species was very low and further efforts have not been attempted. A management plan for the forest has been prepared, but control measures urgently need to be put in place if the forest is to be saved.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Arero forest (Ethiopia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/arero-forest-iba-ethiopia on 22/11/2024.
